John R. Miller belongs to the rare breed of songwriters whose expansive introspection uncovers so many truths about the state of the human condition. On his new album Heat Comes Down, the West Virginia-raised, Nashville-based artist intimately narrates his sleepless nights and nostalgic daydreams, existential dread, and observations of the troubled world around him. While a number of its songs convey a certain unease, Miller endlessly imparts the kind of lovely reassurance that can only come from shared catharsis.
The follow-up to his debut Depreciated—an album hailed by SPIN for its “refreshingly raw honesty, reflectiveness, and the undeniable beauty in discovery and growth”—Heat Comes Down is a gorgeously detailed convergence of country and folk-rock.
Raised in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, Miller first started honing his singular songwriting voice as a teenager, in between playing gigs at local church halls with his various garage bands. In his late teens, he crossed paths with musicians who introduced him to traditional fiddle music, which proved to be pivotal in his growth as an artist. “My first touring group was a string band; we drove around in a Dodge Caravan for quite a few years, playing square dances and bluegrass festivals and a whole lot of bars. Part of the beauty of that music is it’s not easily commercialized - it made me realize that music is meant to be a communal act.”
- Liz Barker
